Leon Draisaitl scored on a power play with 31 seconds left in overtime to lift the Edmonton Oilers to a 4-3 comeback win over the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night.
Draisaitl, who finished with two goals, buried the winner on a one-timer from Connor McDavid after a delay-of-game penalty on Tomas Nosek.
Down 3-1 early in the second period, the Oilers rallied with goals from Viktor Arvidsson and Mattias Ekholm, the latter assisted by McDavid. Stuart Skinner made 29 saves, shutting the door after Sam Bennett’s second goal gave Florida its two-goal edge. Edmonton tied a franchise record with its third multigoal comeback win of the playoffs.
The Panthers, who had been 31-0 under coach Paul Maurice when leading after one or two periods, saw that streak end. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 42 shots, and Bennett set a franchise postseason mark with his 12th goal. Florida struck twice following a failed Edmonton challenge in the first, but couldn’t hold off the Oilers’ late push.
Game 2 of the series is Friday night in Edmonton, with puck drop set for 8 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].